Abstract:
'Cult Author versus Literary Celebrity: Commentary of and on Janet Frame and Margaret Atwood' is a comparative exploration of authorial commentary and the critical interaction with that commentary. The mythology that surrounds an author is a powerful force. It can affect and inform critical interpretations of their fiction. The way that authors participate in and attempt to shape their mythologies therefore has implications for the body of literary criticism that attaches to their work. This meta-critical study charts the nature and magnitude of the commentary produced by New Zealand author Janet Frame and Canadian author Margaret Atwood. It aims to investigate how each author has intervened as an active agent to mould the mythological discourse that surrounds them, and to examine the effect of each author's commentary by ascertaining where it has influenced overarching critical narratives of their work. The use of the authors' commentary as a critical tool is canvassed, as is critical reaction to the personae each author projects through their commentary.